Dance With Demons
by Myxllo
Summary: He turned around, wiping off his razor. The tray slipped from my fingers and gave out a spectacular crash. Todd’s head snapped up and his eyes locked with mine. Both of our eyes were incredibly wide, his from shock, mine from sheer horror. No S&OC romance
1. Barber and a Girl

"Mama! Daddy! No! Please, PLEASE! Don't go! Don't leave me! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME- ah!" I woke up dripping wet, only to see an angry face glaring down at me.

"Get off my porch!" growled the old man, holding a now empty, bucket in his hand. I sat there, still groggy despite my recent soaking. "Get out of here or I'll make you!" the man yelled yet again, clenching his fist.

I quickly stumbled up and hurried down the street. I turned the corner onto Fleet Street. It didn't look like a very cozy neighborhood — in fact the entire street seemed to be dripping with a dark, ominous gloom — but there were plenty of alleyways to sleep in, and I was still tired.

Ah well beggars can't be choosers, I thought as I strolled into one of the dingy alleyways and sat myself down on the damp ground, getting the rest of my tattered skirts soaked in the process, and slowly fell asleep.

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"Heh, heh, heh, now wot have we got 'ere?" I blinked stupidly, trying to focus on the person before me. I looked up to see a greasy-haired blond boy, no older than seventeen, leering at me.

"You's trespassin' on our territory, you knows." I blinked a few more times and noticed that there were about four or five boys behind him. I also realized that the sky had grown dark. I must've been out of it for a while. "You knows wot we does ter trespassers?" the boy asked, smirking.

"No, I can't say I do," I said harshly, standing up and brushing myself off. I hoped that I sounded braver than I felt — though I was annoyed, these boys were all bigger than I was, and they outnumbered me.

"We're expectin' yeh ter pay us, since we're so kind to let you sleep on our property."

"Well then, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't have any money on me," I replied, adding venom to my voice and lifting my chin. Maybe they'd let me go if they realized that I had nothing to offer them; it was a slim chance, but I was holding onto it desperately. I could never fight my way out of this.

"I wasn't talking 'bout money, Miss," he said, his smirk widening even more.

Before I knew it my wrists were thrown up against the brick wall, scratching the backs of my hands, and the boy started reaching up my, still damp, skirts, all the while being cheered on by his lackeys. I tried to scream out but the boy hit me hard across the cheek.

I was worried (and at the same time, hopeful) that I was going to pass out when suddenly the boy was thrown back by a tall man with dark circles under his eyes and a large white streak running through his hair.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" the man yelled, his eyes glinting furiously. The boys stayed where they were, cowering. The mans hand shifted towards his pocket, where I saw something glisten. The boys eyes widened in fear. "Get." The man repeated, not loudly, but with enough venom in it to kill.

The boys' eyes widened even further and darted between the object in his pocket and the man's expression which was, like his tone, murderous. The man let out a low growl and, thoroughly terrified, the greasy-haired blond signaled to the others to leave and ran out of the alley as quickly as possible.

I let out a sigh of relief then tried to peek over to catch a glimpse at what it was that had scared the boys so much, but the man quickly covered it up and turned towards me, causing my stomach to jump up into my throat yet again.

"You all right?' he asked gruffly, looking like he didn't really care what the answer was. I forced myself to nod and hid my bleeding hands behind my back, looking down at my feet. "We should get some bandages for those Miss…" he continued reluctantly, glancing back the way he'd come.

"Alice, just Alice sir. I don't have a last name, I haven't for quite some time actually." I said, trying to recall just how long ago my parents had left me.

"Right then," the man said, ignoring that last comment and walking off. I wondered if he'd even been listening. "Those bandages."

"Right sir. . . . Oh!" I exclaimed, heading after him.

"What?' he asked, turning around.

"I never learned your name, sir." I pointed out.

"It's Sweeney, Sweeney Todd."

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**Author's Note:**

thank you for reading!! i'll try to get the next chapter up soon this is my first fanfiction so i'm new at this.

uber thanks to forestwater for pointing out potential mary-sue-ness and smoothing out a lot of the rough spots and also to Meggi for coming up with a fantastic title! XD ((i'm never good at naming things))

until we meet again!


	2. Best Pies in London

"Bloody hell," I muttered, tugging at the slipping sides of the dress with my, now bandaged, hands. "Why does this dress have to be so low?" With one last tug I stepped out into the shop to find Mrs. Lovett hitting cockroaches with her rolling pin.

"Er, Mrs. Lovett…" I muttered, giving the slipping dress a good yank up.

"Oh, Alice," she said, realizing my dilemma, "Let me tighten that for you." She reached for the corset and started tightening it, rolling pin in hand. "So sorry for this being so large. Can't recall the last time I went out and got a new dress! I suppose we could go out tomorrow if you'd like. Though I would have to close up the shop early, 'scuse me. OH NO YOU DON'T!' she yelled smashing another cockroach with her rolling pin, and then returned to lacing up the corset. "Sorry 'bout that dearie. There ya go." She said tapping me in the back with the rolling pin.

I looked down to examine Mrs. Lovett's handiwork to see the dress crinkled beneath the corset because of its large size. My stomach growled loudly. _Come to think of it I hadn't eaten yet today. With all the excitement it had slipped my mind._

"Poor dear," cooed Mrs. Lovett, "here, have a pie it's nice and hot; right out of the oven!" Accepting the pie, I set the plate on a nearby table, sat down, and took a bite. The pie melted in my mouth leaving a warm, delicious taste. _This has to be the best pie in London! _Entranced, I took another bite as Mrs. Lovett watched me, satisfied with my reaction.

I started on another bite just as Mr. Todd walked in, cleaning one of his razors. He glanced around the room and stopped, eyes wide, at the site of me eating. With one swift movement he knocked the pie out of my hands and onto the floor then narrowed his eyes at Mrs. Lovett.

"Excuse me!" I half-yelled, getting annoyed. "I believe I was eating that!"

"Well I don't think you'd want that anymore." He said gesturing towards the fallen pie. I looked down just in time to see a cockroach climb over it. Not wanting to lose the "fight" I glared up at him only to find him glaring back.

We glared for a while, neither of us moving, except for Mrs. Lovett shifting uncomfortably behind the counter until the bell on the shop door rang.

"Oh look a customer!" Mrs. Lovett cried all too happily, running up towards the customer. "Come here for a pie sir?" she asked, wiping her hands on the front of her dress.

"Actually I came here for a shave ma'am." The man replied.

"Oh alright then," Mrs. Lovett said, slightly disappointed. "Mr. T! You've got a customer!"

"Right." He replied gruffly, turning his head slightly but still keeping eye contact with me. "We'll settle this later." He grumbled just loud enough for me to hear, then turned to face the customer and led him upstairs with a fake smile.

The last thing I heard him say was, "This'll be the closest shave you've ever had."

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Author's Note:

i hope you enjoyed this chapter! (i know i had a lot of fun writing it with the pie, cockroaches, and the glare off XD))

sorry if some of you got a little squemish at the pie part! -

now why would Todd be concerned about Alice eating the meat ((cough canibal! cough)) pies? hmmm? well find out in the next chapter of... dramatic theme music **Dance With a Demon**! hehe


	3. A Little Customer

"Boy! Mr. Todd sure takes his time with the customers!" I said helping Mrs. Lovett wipe down tables. I looked up at the clock to see that twenty minutes had passed since Todd led the man up to his shop. "What should we do about his supper? It's starting to get cold."

"Why don't you bring it up in a bit dear, give him some time to clean- I mean finish up!" Mrs. Lovett replied a little nervously, eyes darting from my face to the stairs leading to Todd's shop.

"Alright, I'll just finish these tables then." I said, giving a slight smile and returning to my work. I just had a few more to go so I hurried to finish then dumped the brown water onto the street, getting my borrowed skirts slightly damp. I turned back into the shop, grabbed the tray of food on the table, and then headed up the stairs to his shop. I Pushed open the door and saw the man in the chair dead with a streak of red across his neck. His throat had been slit. Suddenly the body fell backwards into a hole in the floor, giving a sickening crunch from wherever it had landed below.

Then I saw him. Mr. Todd stood there with his foot on a pedal beside the chair and blood soaked sleeves. He turned around, wiping off his razor. The tray slipped from my fingers and gave out a spectacular crash. Todd's head snapped up and his eyes locked with mine. Both of our eyes were incredibly wide, his from shock, mine from sheer horror.

Unfortunately for me he snapped out of his trance quicker. "What the hell are you doing up here?" he asked in a gruff, almost scared sort of way. Still paralyzed with fear, I stood there shaking, not able to bring up the courage to reply. "I SAID WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE ALICE!" he yelled, ridding himself of the vulnerable tone. He was clearly getting irritated by my silence.

I flinched and slowly stammered out, "I...I...I..."

_**BAM!**_

"Mr. T what the bloody hell was all that racket?!" screamed Mrs. Lovett, barging into the room. She took in the sight of Todd's bloodstained shirt and my horrified face. Then it dawned on her. "Oh dear… Here Alice have a seat dearie, sit, sit" she said leading me towards the chair in the center of the room gingerly, as if I were a porcelain doll.

I froze completely, refusing to move. I don't want to sit there! They'll kill me! Just like they did that man!

"C'mon Dearie, it's alright. You need to sit you're shaking like mad Alice dear." Mrs. Lovett cooed. I shook my head, staring at he lever beside the chair. I was NOT going to sit there! Mrs. Lovett followed my gaze to the lever then laughed. "Oh Alice, come we're not going to hurt you! You need to sit. Let us explain." She said pushing me into the chair.

"EXPLAIN WHAT?! WHY HE TOOK THAT MAN'S LIFE?!" I screamed, snapping out of my trance and jabbing my finger towards Mr. Todd, who was still preoccupied with cleaning his razor. "HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?! HOW?!" I screamed, hot tears now rolling down my cheeks. "THE WAY HE DID IT, ITS LIKE HE ISN'T EVEN BOTHERED BY IT! HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU KILLED LIKE THAT?!"

"Alice, it isn't like that at all!" Mrs. Lovett cried.

"I only kill those who won't be missed." Mr. Todd added.

"LIKE THAT ISN'T ANY BETTER?! YOU'RE STILL TAKING AWAY SOMEONE'S LIFE! AND WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE THAT THEY'RE NOT TO BE MISSED?! HUH?!" I screamed, starting to go into hysterics.

"Mr. Todd you're being no help at all." Mrs. Lovett scolded glaring at him and reaching towards me.

"GET AWAY!" I screamed, shoving Mrs. Lovett's hands away and jumping out of the seat, "What do you do with the bodies anyways?" I asked backing up towards the door. Mrs. Lovett shuffled her feet and my mind flashed back to the pie that Todd had knocked out of my hands in disgust. "…Oh god… oh god… Th-the PIES! YOU BAKED THEM INTO THE PIES!" I screamed in disgust, suddenly feeling extremely nauseous. "Y-You're all….insane…. YOU'RE ALL MAD! ALL OF YOU!" I screamed turning and dashing out of the door and down the steps.

"ALICE! ALICE COME BACK! ALICE!" Mrs. Lovett called after me.

I didn't listen, I just kept running, I kept running and I didn't stop. I don't know how long I was running or if anyone was following me but I didn't want to stop and check. I ran and ran until I just collapsed in an alleyway, crying.

How could they do that? How can they just kill like that and brush it off like it's nothing?! The questions ran through my head continuously until the image of the man laying on the chair, throat slashed, gushing blood, ran through my head. I became incredibly dizzy. My mouth tasted like metal and…..pies. My stomach churned suddenly and my body heaved forwards as I threw up onto the cement.

I wiped the sides of my mouth to get rid of the clinging bile. Suddenly I heard something snap at the opening of the alley. I looked up and was utterly terrified at what I saw. It was a tall figure with wild hair, and I knife in his hand.

"Mr. Todd."

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Author's Note:

ok first off i'm extremely sorry this chapter took so long to get up . i mentally smack myself for that. i had a lot of things go on these past few weeks. i was in the hospital for an endoscopy ((basically a tube down your throat that takes small pieces of your intestine to see if you have celiac)) and i had a bunch of regattas ((aka. crew/rowing races)) that and my "editor" forestwater was out on a school trip to Disney. is very jealous again i'm very sorry that this took so long!

P.S. i don't have celiac i found out yeaterday XD

P.P.S. celiac is a fancy word for wheat allergy ((thank god i'm not!))


	4. The Barber and His Accomplice

My entire body screamed at me to run, to get out of there as quickly as possible. No, faster than humanly possible, but my legs would not move. I heard Todd's footsteps growing nearer and all I could do was crouch there, cowering in fear.

I was going to die. This was the end. This was how I was going to die, hiding in a dirty alley at the mercy of a murderous barber.

I heard the footsteps halt.

I saw his feet right in front of me and his tall shadow looming over me. The shadow's arm moved upwards into the air and started to come down towards me. I shut my eyes and braced myself for the pain that was sure to come. Then I felt something on my shoulder. I flinched as it came in contact with me but there was no pain. Why was there no pain?

Was I already dead?

I opened an eye, expecting to see my shoulder covered in blood or something equally nasty. Instead I saw a hand. Mustering up my courage, I opened my other eye and looked up at Mr. Todd. He was staring down at the ground. Something about him seemed . . . sad.

Not that I could tell, as I still had my arms over my head and his eyes weren't meeting mine. But his shoulders were slumped, and the dim light entering the alley showed enough of his face that it seemed like his eyes were depressed rather than vicious.

"M-Mr. Todd," I stuttered, still quivering. His head lifted up and he looked me in the eyes. They seemed distant, like he was remembering a bad dream.

"My wife." His voice was barely audible. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused.

"What?"

"My wife," he repeated, this time more loudly. "She poisoned herself. She killed herself because of _him._"

"Who?" I asked. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I had a feeling that this was important. Besides, it was keeping me from having my blood spattered across the wall, so I felt that it was in my best interests to keep him talking.

"Judge Turpin," he growled, his grip tightening on my shoulder. "That ignorant bastard raped my wife."

My eyes widened and I started to stutter. "I . . . I . . . I'm sorry."

Mr. Todd didn't reply; he just continued staring out at the street.

"Mr. Todd, are you all right?" I asked, leaning towards him.

He gave me a hard glare, then sighed. "Fifteen years ago I had a wife and daughter." His words had an edge to them, as though he wanted to stop each word he spoke from escaping his lips, but couldn't. "One day, we went out into town, looking for some flowers Lucy wanted —"

I assumed Lucy was his wife, but didn't want to ask. He was so lost in his own world that I was afraid if I said anything, he'd slit my throat before even realizing who I was.

"Judge Turpin . . . sent me away, so to speak, and took my wife and Johanna." A vein was throbbing in his forehead, and his hands tightened painfully on my shoulders.

After a few minutes, I had to say something. "Mr. Todd," I asked gingerly, "what happened to Joanna?"

"She's his ward. I haven't seen her since. . . . I haven't seen her."

I thought about what was just revealed. So that's why that guy was killed? Was it all just for revenge? At first I thought it sounded crazy. Clearly he was insane. He killed someone!

. . . However, I didneed a place to stay, and Mrs. Lovett would protect me. I had a feeling that the only reason Mr. Todd was out here talking to me was because Mrs. Lovett told him to.

Come to think of it, she had to know what was going on. She must help. Which meant that she was crazy, too.

I imagined falling in love, getting married and having a child. I imagined spending blissful years go by with a beautiful family. Then I pictured losing all that and being sent away to Heaven knows where to face all sorts of horrors. My mind snapped, focusing solely on revenge. Hoping and praying that my family was alive and safe, then returning home to realize that they weren't.

And I began thinking that I could see where Mr. Todd was coming from.

There were ways I could help them. I could go where Mrs. Lovettand Mr. Todd couldn't, because they were too busy tending to their shop. I could go to my old friends scattered around Londonand find information. I could assist Mrs. Lovett with the cooking and cleaning. I could . . .

"Mr. Todd, I'll help you get your revenge."

His head snapped up, his eyes wide with surprise. Clearly that was not what he'd expected me to say. It wasn't what I'd expected me to say, either, but I didn't regret it.

Maybe I was crazy. Maybe this was the stupidest thing I'd ever done. But it was a roof over my head and food in my stomach, so it was the best solution I could come to.

Once he'd overcome his surprise, his eyes narrowed. He looked like he was considering it. Either he was going to let me stay and help, or he would kill me for being a liability. Judging by the expression on his face, I thought he was leaning toward the second option.

He scowled, and his gaze became unfocused. I realized that that was the expression I wore whenever my mother had lectured me. I imagined him listening to Mrs. Lovett's reaction if he killed me, and a giggle fought its way past my fear and up my throat. It took all that I had to keep it down.

"Fine." He stuck out his hand, and I took it, sealing the deal in a quick handshake. He turned and strode down the street without so much as a glance back at me. I gathered my skirts and trotted after him, feeling the giggle well up in me again. I let it out, laughing loud enough to startle the birds resting nearby.

Mr. Todd turned around, looking wary. I grinned blithely at him, skipping ahead. I could see the shop, my new home, and Mrs. Lovett standing in the door. I wanted to wave at her, but felt that Mr. Todd's patience was waning, and he might chop off my hand if I did. So instead I winked, smiling broadly.

Mrs. Lovett turned, and disappeared inside. I hesitated before entering the shop; had I made her angry somehow?

Suddenly she appeared at my side, slapping a meat pie into my hand. "Eat — you look like death," she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

I knew then that I was officially a part of this strange family. I looked over at Mr. Todd, who was glaring out the window, and then at Mrs. Lovett, who was bustling around the room. My eyes dropped to the pie, and I wondered vaguely who was inside it. I shrugged, and took a bite. It was as delicious as before, and I wasn't even bothered by what it really was. That definitely made me at least as nuts as the other two. I laughed, taking another bite.

Nellie, Sweeney, and Alice — Lunatics Extraordinaire.

It had a nice ring to it.

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Author's Note:

OK first off, I feel I need to apologise for that slight delay, I've been trying to get these out in about every two days but, i have a _little _problem with procrastination.

Secondly, I'd like you to all take a moment and praise my editor greatly, she is a freaking goddess of an editor! **I love you forestwater!** She is the person who made my ending the way I pictured it to be but, I couldn't put it into words which is a little problem when you're _writing._ So love her for the ending... but don't send her creepy messages, I think she wouldn't like that...

Horay for the longest chapter so far!


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